U.S. patent application number 10/690817 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-15 for disposable wearing article.
Invention is credited to Mishima, Yoshitaka, Nakajima, Kaiyo, Shimakawa, Taiji, Sugito, Tomoko.
Application Number | 20040138638 10/690817 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32064388 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040138638 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mishima, Yoshitaka ; et
al. |
July 15, 2004 |
Disposable wearing article
Abstract
Here is disclosed a disposable wearing article comprising a
holder member which is composed of a front waist region, a rear
waist region and a crotch region and a bodily discharge receiving
member. The holder member is formed with a through-hole in the
crotch region while the receiving member has a protrusion adapted
to be inserted into the through-hole from the outer side of the
wearing article and to define a concavity which can receive and
retain bodily discharges.
Inventors: |
Mishima, Yoshitaka;
(Kagawa-ken, JP) ; Shimakawa, Taiji; (Kagawa-ken,
JP) ; Nakajima, Kaiyo; (Kagawa-ken, JP) ;
Sugito, Tomoko; (Kagawa-ken, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOWE HAUPTMAN GILMAN AND BERNER, LLP
1700 DIAGONAL ROAD
SUITE 300 /310
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
32064388 |
Appl. No.: |
10/690817 |
Filed: |
October 23, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/385.101 ;
604/393 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 13/49019 20130101;
A61F 13/505 20130101; A61F 13/5644 20130101; A61F 13/495
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/385.101 ;
604/393 |
International
Class: |
A61F 013/15; A61F
013/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 25, 2002 |
JP |
2002-311678 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A disposable wearing article having a front waist region, a rear
waist region and a crotch region extending between said waist
regions, each having an inner surface facing a wearer's body and an
outer surface facing away from said wearer's body, and said crotch
region being formed in a transversely middle zone thereof on said
inner surface with a protrusion surrounding at least one of an anus
and a urethral of said wearer, said disposable wearing article
further comprising: a holder member having said front waist region,
said rear waist regions and said crotch region; and a bodily
discharge receiving member detachably held by said holder member;
wherein said crotch region is provided in a transversely middle
zone thereof with a through-hole extending between said inner
surface and said outer surface, and said receiving member comprises
an annular portion adapted to be detachably inserted from a side of
said outer surface of said holder member into said through-hole so
as to form said protrusion and a bursiform portion lying at a side
of said outer surface of said holder member and joined to an outer
periphery of said annular portion so that bodily discharges flow
through said annular portion into said bursiform potion and said
receiving member is held by said holder member by detachably
joining said receiving member to said holder member around said
through-hole.
2. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein lateral
portions of said holder member in said front and rear waist regions
are releasably engaged with each other to define a waist-hole and a
pair of leg-holes.
3. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein lateral
portions of said holder member in said front and rear waist regions
are permanently joined together to define a waist-hole and a pair
of said leg-holes.
4. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said
protrusion comprises flexible and elastically compressive foamed
plastic.
5. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said bursiform
portion is formed by a liquid-impervious sheet.
6. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said holder
member is washable and reusable.
7. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said holder
member is elastically stretchable.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is based on, and claims priority
from, Japanese Application Serial Number 2002-311678, filed Oct.
25, 2002, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a disposable wearing
article such as a disposable diaper for personal care of bodily
discharges.
[0003] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2523711B discloses a
disposable diaper provided in a crotch region with a feces
receiving concavity and formed around such concavity with a
protrusion.
[0004] The disposable diaper disclosed in the above-cited
Publication is more complicated than a diaper provided with no
concavity to receive feces and generally apt to require the
correspondingly higher unit cost of the product. From the other
viewpoint, this diaper may lead to wasteful use of resources
because, even when only the zone of the diaper surrounded by the
protrusion has been contaminated with bodily discharges, the
remaining zone of the diaper is often substantially free from
contamination and the diaper must be thrown away because of such
restricted contamination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to improve the
disposable diaper provided with the concavity adapted to receive
bodily discharges such as feces so that the unit cost of such
article can be substantially reduced.
[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a
disposable wearing article having a front waist region, a rear
waist region and a crotch region extending between the waist
regions, each having an inner surface facing a wearer's body and an
outer surface facing away from the wearer's body, and the crotch
region being formed in a transversely middle zone thereof on the
inner surface with a protrusion surrounding at least one of an anus
and a urethral of the wearer.
[0007] The present invention further comprises a holder member
having the front waist region, the rear waist regions and the
crotch region; and a bodily discharge receiving member detachably
held by the holder member; wherein the crotch region is provided in
a transversely middle zone thereof with a through-hole extending
between the inner surface and the outer surface, and the receiving
member comprises an annular portion adapted to be detachably
inserted from a side of the outer surface of the holder member into
the through-hole so as to form the protrusion and a bursiform
portion lying at a side of the outer surface of the holder member
and joined to an outer periphery of the annular portion so that
bodily discharges flow through the annular portion into the
bursiform potion and the receiving member is held by the holder
member by detachably joining the receiving member to the holder
member around the through-hole.
[0008] The present invention includes the following
embodiments.
[0009] The lateral portions of the holder member in the front and
rear waist regions are releasably engaged with each other to define
a waist-hole and a pair of leg-holes.
[0010] The lateral portions of the holder member in the front and
rear waist regions are permanently joined together to define a
waist-hole and a pair of the leg-holes.
[0011] The protrusion comprises flexible and elastically
compressive foamed plastic.
[0012] The bursiform portion is formed by a liquid-impervious
sheet.
[0013] The holder member is washable and reusable.
[0014] The holder member is elastically stretchable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a diaper as put on a
wearer's body;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the diaper
of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line III-III in
FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in FIG.
2; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process for continuous
production of the diapers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Details of the disposable wearing article according to the
present invention will be more fully understood from the
description of a disposable diaper as a typical embodiment of the
invention given hereunder with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a disposable diaper 1
as put on a wearer's body and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan
view showing the diaper 1. The illustrated disposable diaper 1 is
of open-type and has, as viewed in the plan view of FIG. 2, a
transverse direction indicated by a double-headed arrow A and a
longitudinal direction indicated by a double-headed arrow B. A
waist-hole 15 and a pair of leg-holes 16 are formed as the diaper
is put on the wearer's body. The diaper 1 presenting an
hourglass-shape as viewed in the plan view of FIG. 2 comprises a
holder member 5 which is elastically stretchable in the transverse
direction A as well as in the longitudinal direction B and a bodily
discharge receiving member 20 attached to the holder member 5. The
holder member 5 comprises an elastically stretchable topsheet 2
facing the wearer's body and an elastically stretchable backsheet 3
facing wearer's clothes intermittently joined together by use of
adhesive or welding technique. In the longitudinal direction B of
the diaper 1, the holder member 5 has a crotch region 8, a front
waist region 6 extending forward from the crotch region 8 and a
rear waist region 7 extending rearward the crotch region 8. The
holder member 5 further has front and rear end portions 11
extending in the transverse direction A and a pair of opposite side
edge portions 13 extending in the longitudinal direction B wherein
these side edge portions 13 extending in the crotch region 8 curve
inward to define respective leg-surrounding lateral portions 14.
Along the end portion 11 in the rear waist region 7 and the
respective leg-surrounding side edge portions 14, a waist elastic
member 17 comprising a plurality of rubber threads and leg elastic
members 18 each comprising a plurality of rubber threads are
interposed between the top- and backsheets 2, 3 and attached to at
least one of these two sheets 2, 3 in a stretched or unstretched
state. The crotch region 8 of the holder member 5 is provided in
its transversely middle zone with a bodily discharge receiving
member 20 comprising an annular protrusion 21 and a feces receiving
space 22 surrounded by the protrusion 21. The protrusion 21 lies in
a zone of the crotch region 8 located aside toward the rear waist
region 7 and come in contact with the wearer's body so that the
protrusion 21 may properly surround an anus as the diaper 1 is put
on the wearer's body.
[0022] The holder member 5 in the diaper 1 formed in this manner
comprises, as seen in the plan view of FIG. 2, a zonal high
elasticity segment 26 extending from a periphery of the annular
protrusion 21 toward the side edge portions 13 in the front waist
region 6 as well as toward the side edge portions 13 in the rear
waist region 7 so as to describe a substantially X-like shape and a
low elasticity segment 27 defined by the remaining segment of the
cover sheet 5 except for the high elasticity segment 26. When the
diaper 1 is put on the wearer's body, a higher stretching force is
necessary for the high elasticity segment 26 than a stretching
force necessary for the low elasticity segment 27. The high
elasticity segment 26 extends along the respective leg-surrounding
lateral portions 14.
[0023] Such high elasticity segment 26 is formed by an elastically
stretchable first sheet 28 (See FIG. 3) attached to an inner
surface of the topsheet 2 as illustrated or interposed between the
top- and backsheets 2, 3 and attached to at least one of these
sheets 2, 3. This first elastic sheet 28 preferably has a stretch
stress equal to or higher than those of the top- and backsheets 2,
3. It should be understood that the waist elastic member 17 as well
as the leg elastic members 18 are optionally used to assist the
holder member 5 to be tightly placed around the wearer's waist and
thighs.
[0024] In the preferred holder member 5, the high elasticity
segment 26 has a stretch stress of 0.25 N/15 mm or higher when the
segment 26 is transversely stretched by 15% and a stretch stress of
0.6 N/15 mm when the high elasticity segment 26 is transversely
stretched by 40%. At these stretch ratios, the high elasticity
segment 26 exhibits the stretch stress corresponding to at least
1.5 times of the stretch stress exhibited by the low elasticity
segment 27. The holder member 5 further comprises fastener means.
Specifically, each of the opposite side edge portions 13 in the
rear waist region 7 is provided with a pair of hook members 31a,
31b attached to the topsheet 2 each making one cooperating
component of the mechanical fastener commonly known in the trade
name of MAGIC TAPE, on one hand, and each of the opposite side edge
portions 13 in the front waist region 6 is provided with a pair of
loop members 32a, 32b attached to the backsheet 3 each making the
other cooperating component of the mechanical fastener, on the
other hand. Of these mechanical fastener components, the hook
members 31b and/or the loop members 32b at least partially overlap
the high elasticity segment 26.
[0025] FIGS. 3 and 4 are partially cutaway sectional views taken
along lines III-III and IV-IV in FIG. 2, respectively. The holder
member 5 is formed in the transversely middle zone of the crotch
region 8 with a through-hole 41 extending through the top- and
backsheets 2, 3 as well as the first elastic sheet 28 in a
thickness-direction, that is, extending between the surface facing
the wearer's body defined by the topsheet 2 and the first elastic
sheet 28 and the surface facing the wearer's clothes of the holder
member 5. The bodily discharge receiving member 20 comprises the
annular portion 51 inserted into the through-hole 41 from the
surface facing the wearer's clothes of the holder member 5 to form
the protrusion 21 and a bursiform portion 52 lying on the side of
the surface facing the wearer's clothes.
[0026] The annular portion 51 of the receiving member 20 has a top
covering sheet 53, a bottom covering sheet 54 and filler 56 filling
an inner space surrounded by these covering sheets 53, 54. A
liquid-absorbent block 57 lies within the inner space of the
bursiform portion 52 inside the bottom covering sheet 54. The
bursiform portion 52 has an opening 52a shaped substantially in
coincidence with the through-hole 41 of the holder member 5 and a
peripheral edge portion 58 of the opening 52a is permanently joined
to the top covering sheet 53 at a lower level of the annular
portion 51 by use of adhesive or welding technique, on one hand,
and releasably attached to the backsheet 3 of the holder member 5
by use of pressure-sensitive adhesive, on the other hand. If the
receiving member 20 is pulled down as viewed in FIG. 3 with the
bursiform portion 52 peeled off from the backsheet 3, the annular
portion 51 can be elastically deformed so as to be drawn off from
the through-hole 41 of the holder member 5 to separate the
receiving member 20 from the holder member 5 as indicated by
imaginary lines in FIG. 3.
[0027] In the holder member 5, the topsheet 2, the backsheet 3 and
the first elastic sheet 28 may be formed by stock material selected
from the group including an elastically stretchable nonwoven fabric
or woven fabric made of elastomer such as an urethane and a sheet
material such as a film. The sheet material is preferably
liquid-impervious and more preferably breathable and
liquid-impervious. The holder member 5 is elastically stretchable
in the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow A as well as
in the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow B.
[0028] In the receiving member 20, the top covering sheet 53 of the
annular portion 51 is hot formed from preferably a
liquid-impervious, more preferably, breathable and
liquid-impervious thermoplastic nonwoven fabric, woven fabric or a
film. The filler 56 serving to make the annular portion 51
elastically compressive comprises a block of flexible and elastic
foamed material such as a foamed polyurethane or pulverized powder
of such block. Compressibility of the annular portion 51 may be
controlled by mixing the pulverized powder of foam material
preferably with thermoplastic synthetic fibers, more preferably
with crimped thermoplastic synthetic fibers. The liquid-absorbent
block 57 of the receiving member 20 may be formed by
water-absorbent material 62 such as fluff pulp, super-absorbent
polymer particles or super-absorbent polymer fiber or a mixture
thereof, in every case, wrapped with a liquid-pervious sheet 63.
Such liquid-absorbent block 57 may be replaced by liquid-absorbent
sheet material having an appropriate thickness such as a pulp sheet
fixed to the bottom covering sheet 54 so as to form the block 57.
The bursiform portion 52 of the receiving member 20 can be formed
by liquid-impervious film. A nonwoven fabric may be laminated on an
outer surface of this film to provide the bursiform portion 52 with
cloth-like touch. It is also possible to form the bursiform portion
52 by elastically stretchable film so that the bursiform portion 52
can bulge first when it receives bodily discharges. When the
bursiform portion 52 is made of sheet material which is not
elastically stretchable, the bursiform portion 52 may be previously
formed with a plurality of gathers to ensure that the bursiform
portion 52 bulges first when the bursiform portion 52 receives
bodily discharges.
[0029] With the diaper 1 configured in this manner, even when
bodily discharges flow into the bursiform portion 52, it is not
likely that the holder member 5 might be contaminated with bodily
discharges so far as the protrusion 21 defined by the annular
portion 51 is held in tight contact with the wearer's body around
the anus. It will be understood from FIG. 3 that the diaper 1 can
be divided into the holder member 5 and the receiving member 20, so
the holder member 5 may be washed to reuse it after the receiving
member 20 contaminated with bodily discharges alone has been thrown
away. The diaper 1 adapted to be used in such manner can
substantially reduce a unit cost of the diaper 1 by reusing the
holder member 5 compared to the conventional diaper adapted to be
entirely thrown away after contaminated.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the process
for continuously making the diaper 1 shown in FIG. 2. A web 201
destined to become the top covering sheet 53 is continuously fed
from upper left toward a rotary drum 200 lying at a substantially
central position as viewed in the diagram. In the course of being
fed toward the rotary drum 200, the web 201 passes through a hot
forming machine 202 in which the web is intermittently formed with
concavities 203 each corresponding to the annular portion 51. The
web 201 formed with the concavities 203 in this manner is then
introduced into a crushed powder filling box 204.
[0031] On the other hand, a suitable foamed material such as a
foamed polyurethane destined to become the filler 56 is fed from
upper right as viewed in the diagram toward the rotary drum 200. In
the course of being fed toward the rotary drum 200, the foamed
material passes through a crusher 206 in which the foamed material
is crushed and then introduced into a filling box 204 under air
blasting from a fan 207. The web 201 having the concavities 203
filled with the filler 56 in the filling box 204 is then combined
with a web 211 destined to become the bottom covering sheet 54 fed
toward the rotary drum 200 from right as viewed in the diagram so
that the concavities 203 are successively closed with the web 211.
The web 211 has previously been coated with an adhesive by a coater
212.
[0032] The liquid-absorbent blocks 57 are intermittently fed from
left to right below the rotary drum 200 as viewed in the diagram
and the respective annular portions 51 cut off from the webs 201,
211 bonded together are successively attached to the respective
liquid-absorbent blocks 57. The respective annular portions 51 have
previously been coated with an adhesive by a coater 213. The
liquid-absorbent blocks 57 further run rightward as viewed in the
diagram and, immediately below the rotary drum 200, the bursiform
portions 52 are successively attached to the respective
liquid-absorbent blocks 57. Redundant peripheral margins of the
respective bursiform portions 52 are trimmed by a cutter 214 and
thereby the receiving members 20 are obtained. A web 216 destined
to become the holder members 5 is continuously fed from lower right
with respect to the rotary drum 200 toward the web 216 cut into the
individual holder members 5 by a cutter 217 so that these
individual holder members 5 are assembled integrally with the
individual receiving members 20 on an assembly roll 218. In this
manner, the diaper 1 shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.
[0033] The present invention is applicable not only to the
disposable diaper illustrated and described but also to the diaper
having a pair of the annular portions 20 adapted to receive feces
and urine, respectively. The diaper 1 according to the present
invention is not limited to that for infants but includes diapers
for adults and incontinent patient. The present invention can be
implemented not only in the form of the open-type diaper 1 as
illustrated but also in the form of the pull-on disposable diaper.
Furthermore, it is also possible without departing from the scope
of the invention to form the holder member 5 by the topsheet 2 or
the backsheet 3 alone instead of by the top- and backsheets 2, 3
and the first elastic sheet 28.
[0034] The disposable wearing article according to the present
invention basically comprises the holder member and the bodily
discharge receiving member detachably attached to the holder member
wherein the holder member is washable to be reused after detached
from the contaminated receiving member. Such reusability
substantially reduces a unit cost of the wearing article.
* * * * *